Crucible for metal melting



Feb- 27, 1,951 c. F. LEITTEN ETAL 2,543,700

cRucIBLE FOR METAL MELTING Filed Jan. s1, 1948 F/q. i

3v U j/-/ y I f /f' f f f Patented Feb. 27, 1,951

UNITEDA STATES PATENT OFFICE CRUCIBLE FOR METAL MELTIN G Carl F. Letten, Hamburg, N. Y., and Tom W. Campbell, Poland, Ohio, assignors to Electro Refractories & AlloysV Corporation, Bulialo,

Application January 31, 1948, Serial No. 5,638

7 Claims. (Cl. 263-48) f tongs to place them in a furnace or pour out their contents. The dimensions of the various parts have in general been kept inter-related by crucible manufacturers in such a manner that when the outside height of the pot is represented by H, the

Bottom diameter of pot is 59.3% Tof H Top diameter of pot is 74.8% of H Bilge diameter of pot is 81.0% of H Height of bilge above base is 65% of H Radius of curvature of outside wall 4of pot in a vertical plane passing through the axis is 2H.

In certain special pots the top diameter and the bilge diameter have been approximately equal and in a few instances the bottom diameter has been equal to the diameter further upbut more commonly the side wall of the pot curves in downwardly as described above and intersects the base at such a position as to make the cross sectional area of the pot at its bilge from 1%. to 21A times the area of the base of the pot, the ratio for a standard pot as specified abovebeing 1.87.

The configuration has moreover been such that when a section is cut in a plane passing through the axis of the crucible, the side as it meets the bottom is seen to be convex outwardly and the inside meets the bottom either at a sharp angle or in a relatively sharply curved fillet. In this way, the downward weight of the metal has been supported directly by the interior bottom of the pot over an area almost equal to the outside base of the pot. This base in turn has been supported on a pedestal roughly the same size as itself, around which pedestal flame for heating the pot enters the combustion chamber in which both the pot and the pedestal stand. The combustion gases then swirl round and round the pot and emerge through a flue or other hole in the upper part of the furnace.

We have discovered that not only is it not necessary to support the pot on such a broad base but that both the life of the crucible and the eiciency of the melting operation are materially improved by redesigning the crucible in a' man ner whereby the outside surface of the wall below the bilge is curved more sharply inward so that a Vertical section thereof approximates a portion of an ellipse having a ratio of major axis -to minor axis between 3:1 and 4:3, and so that the pot rests on a far smaller base having an area from about 1/5 to about 1/3 the area of cross section of the pot at its largest diameter. In crucibles made in accordance with a preferred embodiment of our invention the opposite sides of the lower portion of the pot constitute parts of the same ellipse although we limit our invention only within the scope of the appended claims. We find it also desirable that the interior wall of the pot merge with the base in a smooth curve having a minimum radius at least half as great as the radius of the pot base. We moreover frequently provide the outside base of the pot with a downwardly extending foot to increase the area exposed to the heating gases.

The exact nature of our invention will be apparent from consideration of the attached drawings in which Fig. 1 shows a schematic axial cross section of the conventional type crucible set ion a pedestal in a furnace.

Fig. 2 shows a cross section of one embodiment of our improved type crucible, in a plane passing through the axis thereof, the crucible being set on a pedestal in a furnace.

As shown in the drawings, crucible I rests on pedestal block 2 4of suitable refractory material on the bottom of a combustion chamber 3 having a cover 6. Combustion gases for heating the erucible and melting its contents are introduced through burner port 4 at the level of the pedestal and swirl round and round the pot until they finally escape through vent 5 in the furnace cover. The upper portion of both the conventional and our new type crucibles is frequently shaped to form a pouring lip or spout but this is'not shown here as it is not a part of the present invention.v

Both the `Crucible illustrated in Fig. 1 as of the old conventional type and our new type shown in Fig. 2 are similarly placed in the furnace although due to its smaller base our new type is supported on a smaller diameter pedestal block of the same diameter as the base of the pot. This leaves more combustion space beside the pedestal and the broadening pot thereabove keeps the flame down in this enlarged space thus causing more complete lcombustion to occur in that portion of the furnace. This promotes faster melting and 'lessens the tendency to coke formation. It also reduces a'm'e velocity and lessens wear Von the pot, pedestal and furnace particularly at spots Where localized flame impingement is otherwise very destructive. The Cost of the smaller pedestal block is also less, thus adding to the saving made possible through operating economy.

Moreover the large distance across the bottom of the pot of Fig. 1 where d1 represents the diameter of the base Causes far greater temperature differentials to be set up within the base of the pot than are found with our improved smaller base pot. This Causes more severe strains and earlier breakage in the old type than with our pot. The relatively greater proportion of the surface of our pot which is exposed to Contact with the combustion gases facilitates heat transfer to the metal Within the pot and speeds melting. Heat is moreover Carried in through the highly Conducting refractory foot F of our pot to the metal on the pot bottom so that even at the center of the bottom melting is rapid.

In both Figures 1 and 2, where suitable sub-`r scripts are used to differentiate them, H represents the outside height of the pot, D its greatest4 ouside diameter, d the diameter of the base on' which it rests and R the radius of the curve in which the inside bottom and the side wall of the pot are joined.

We have made a study of the desirable interrelation of these various dimensions and quote below certain values of the dimensions and their ratios in both styles of pots. Table 1 shows the values for old conventional style pots as made by one leading producer and Table 2 for our improved design. The size numbers in each case designate certain metal capacity as recognized in the trade.

Table 1 Ratios Size Pot H D d R H/d Max Section R+l d Base Inches Inches Inches f 15% 10% 2 1.88 2.16 .39 17% 12% Zt 1.87 2.07 .14 18% 13% B 1.80 y 1.96 .23 233/52 14% 3 1.93 2. 60 41 20% 143/4 1% 1. 76 1. 90 .24 y 20% 143A 1% 1. 93 1. 90 24 Average l. 86 2. 10 275 Table 2 Ratios Size Pot H D d R H/d Max. Section R-z-l d Base Inches Inches Inches 15% 8 2%. 2. 4l 3. 69 62 171%0 9 3% 2, 50 3.96 .72 18% 9 3% 2. 66 4. 18 72 23% 12 5 2. 27 3. 88 83 20940 10 4151's 2. 60 4.22 .99 1500 285/2 20%0 10 U5/iu 2. 85 4. 22 99 Average 2. '5 4.02 81 It will be observed that both the ratio of height to base diameter and the ratio of maximum sectional area to base area are substantially greater in the case of our improved pots than for the older type and also that in our case, the radius R is Well over half the radius of the base rather than slightly over one quarter as in the old Conventional types. v

Attention is also called to the concave-outward curve C2 immediately above the base in our pot as compared with the sharp convex curve C1 in the conventional pot and also to the approximately elliptical form of section S2 below the bilge of our pot as distinguished from the long radius circular section S1 of conventional pots.

Our new type pots may be made in the usual manner familiar to those skilled in the art from any of the usual materials used to form crucibles but are particularly successful when made with carbon bonded mixtures of graphite and silicon carbide such as described in U. S. Patents No. 1,458,913 and No. 1,658,406.

While it might appear that the modification of shape and size of our improved Crucibles is a minor variation, our tests in commercial foundry operation have shown the results to be of marked benefit as indicated by the following representative results:

There have been other instances where desired furnace operations have been commercially feasible with our improved pots although simply not practical lwith the older type.

'Having thus described our invention and its method of application, what We Claim is:

1. A Crucible having a base smaller in area than one third the area of cross section of the exterior of the Crucible at the mid-section of its height, the diameter of said base being not greater than the vertical distance from the base to the said mid-section of the Crucible and the top of the Crucible being of less diameter than the bilge thereof, the contour of the lower portion of the exterior of the Crucible being such that a plane passing through the vertical axis of the Crucible forms a concave line where it intersects the side wall of the Crucible adjacent to the base.

i 2.`A Crucible Whose lower half consists of a solid of revolution about a vertical axis, the outer portion thereof comprising a flat base having a diameter from one third to one half thevheight of the Crucible and not greater than one half the maximum diameter of the Crucible, the inner surface of the Crucible Comprising a bottom merging continuously into the side wall of the Crucible in such manner that the intersection with said surface of a plane passing through the axis of the Crucible will be a line having a minimum radius of curvature at least half as grea as the radius of the base of the Crucible.

3. A Crucible whose outer side surface below the bilge thereof intersects any plane passing through the axis of the Crucible in a Curve approximately a portion of an ellipse whose major axis is from 1.3 to 3 times the minor axis of Athe ellipse, said Crucible having a ilat base with an area from 1/3 to 1/5 the cross sectional area ofl the bilge of the Crucible, the open top of the Crucible being of less diameter than the bilge and elliptical Vertical section, the opposite sides of the bottom half of the wall oi the Crucible constituting part of an ellipsoid of such form that the length of the vertical axis of the ellipsoid bears a ratio to the length of its horizontal axis of at least 4:3, said Crucible having a fiat foot portion on which the same may restand which is of circular horizontal cross section, the bottom of the inner surface of the Crucible being joined to said ellipsoidal side by a Curved surface, the radius of which in a vertical plane is at least equal to one-half the radius of said flat foot portion, the open top of the Crucible being of less diameter than the bilge thereof and the contour of the lower portion of the exterior of the Crucible being such that a plane passing through the vertical axis of the Crucible forms a concave line where it intersects the side wall of the Crucible adjacent to the base.

5. A Crucible for molten metal consisting generally of a hollow solid revolution about a vertical axis and flaring outwardly above its base, the outside height of the Crucible being greater than its maximum outside diameter and at least 2.25 times the diameter of its base, in which the interior surface of the wall of the Crucible merges with the interior surface of the bottom thereof in a curve having a minimum radius measured in a plane passing through the axis of the Crucible at least half as great as the radius of the base of the Crucible, the Contour of the lower portion of the exterior of the Crucible being such that a plane passing through the vertical axis of the Crucible forms a concave line where it intersects the side wall of the Crucible adjacent to the base.

6. A Crucible for molten metal consisting generally of a hollow solid revolution about a Vertical axis and flaring outwardly above its base, the outside height of the Crucible being greater than its maximum outside diameter and at least 2.25 times the diameter of its base, in which the` intersection of the side wall of the Crucible `below the bilge thereof with a plane passing through the axis of the Crucible approximates a portion of an ellipse in which the ratio of the major axis of the ellipse to the minor axis thereof lies between 4:3 and 3:1, the Contour of the lower portion of the exterior of the Crucible being such that a plane passing through the vertical axis of the crucible'iorms a concave line where it intersects the side wall of the Crucible adjacent to the base.

7. A Crucible for molten metal consisting generally of a hollow solid revolution about a vertical axis and flaring outwardly above its base, the outside height of the Crucible being greater than its maximum outside diameter and at least 2.25 times the diameter of its base, in which the intersection of the side wall of the Crucible below the bilge thereof with a plane passing through the axis of the Crucible approximates a portion of an ellipse in which the ratio of the major axis of the ellipse to the minor axis thereof lies between 4:3 and 3:1, and in which Crucible the CrossY sectional area of the bilge of the Crucible is from 3 to 5 times the area of the base of the Crucible, the contour of the lower portion of the exterior of the Crucible being such that a plane passing through the vertical axis of the Crucible forms a concave line where it intersects the side Wall of the Crucible adjacent to the base.

CARL FVLEITTEN. TOM W. CAMPBELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 108,084 Atwood Oct. 11, 1870 799,744 Mackay Sept. 19, 1905 854,551 Allen May 21, 1907 1,358,816 Bellis Nov. 16, 1920 1,481,228 Rondelli Jan. 15, 1924 2,269,176 Booth et al Jan. 6, v1942 

